Mimbulus Madness
by Trippeh
Summary: Remember Neville's pet plant? What if it developed a defence that was a lot worse than 'Stinksap?
1. Neville Longbottom

**A/N**: mr nutters here, out with a new story... it's inspired by the last episode of _Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu_... humour/romance. it isn't one shot, it'll have chapters and each chapter is in another person's POV. please review that way i'll know if you like it or dislike it and if i should continue it. thanks!  
  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the Harry Potter series characters or anything you recognize from the books, but I do own what you don't know =D

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Neville Longbottom, sixth year student at Hogwarts; School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, ran up the stone steps and into the Entrance Hall of the school. He had just finished Herbology with Professor Sprout, Herbology being his best subject. He had a short discussion about his Mimbulus Mimbletonia, which had now matured, but that short discussion had trailed along and now he was going to be late for Transfiguration.  
  
How he had grasped an Exceeds Expectations on the exam was a mystery even to him. He climbed the marble stairs to his clasrom. It being rather hard to get around while carrying his Mimbulus Mimbletonia, which was like his pet. He struggled into the class and deposited his plant onto his desk. Fortunately, he had made it just in time and didn't not need to recieve a detention for being late or lose his house any points.  
  
He beamed at his plant and remembered his discussion he and Professor Sprout had before realizing he had a class to get to.  
  
_'Ahh Neville, I see you've brought your Mimbulus with you, how goes it? Any new observations?' Professor Sprout inquired.  
  
'It's gotten bigger and I think it's developing a new kind of defence, but I don't know what that is yet...' he said slowly trailing off into deep thought.  
  
'Well, Neville since I've never actually had a chance to study the plant you have because of its rarity,' Neville beamed, 'I wouldn't have had the chance to know what it's defence is, but I've read about it's cousin, the Mimbulus Minbletonic, it expels deadly gas into the air slowly killing anything who breathes it in. Lets just hope your plant is nothing like that.'  
  
'Yeah...' was all he could say. He shuddered to think that his plant could cause so much trouble. He'd never be able to keep it, his grandmother would never allow it. He'd have to leave it in one of the greenhouses.  
  
'Ah, isn't that the bell? You should be off now before you become late.' the professor waved goodbye to him and he was off at a run._  
  
'Hey Neville, I see your plant has grown a lot,' came a friendly voice from his side.  
  
'Yeah it has! Don't worry it doesn't shoot Stinksap anymore,' Neville said reassuringly.  
  
'Well that's a relief,' Harry Potter said with a quiet laugh. Neville watched him walked away back to where he was sitting with his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.  
  
Neville had once fancied Hermione, long ago from his first year all the way to his fourth, but he soon became to think that she was too good for him. And that they'd never be compatible, she was just too intellectual for him. She would be perfect with someone like... Harry! That's what Neville thought atleast. He could obviously see that Ron had fancied Hermione for a long time but they just didn't match. Ron was just too immature and they both never agreed on the same thing.  
  
'Quiet down class!' came a stern voice from the back of the class. It was their professor for Transfigurations.  
  
Professor McGonagol made her way down the aisles to the front of the class. 'Today we will be learning how to transfigure dangerous objects into harmless ones. For today, we will just be practicing on tiny objects. You will each recieve a _spider_,' Ron moved restlessly in his seat, but she took no notice. 'If you are bitten, the antidote will be on my desk, but lets hope we won't have to use it.'  
  
She waved her wand and suddenly on each desk, there lay a jar with a palm-sized black, hairy spider in it. Neville heard a distinct crashing noise from the corner of his ear and turned to see. Ron had toppled over his desk. He hurried up to the front of the class and tried to persuade the professor for a different object to transfigure. Ten minutes later, with much persuasion, Ron had made his way back to his desk with a flobberworm in his hands.  
  
Neville was having trouble with transfiguring as usual, but he thought he was making at least a bit progress than Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting on either side of him.  
  
'I think I'm half way there!' Seamus exclaimed. 'My spider has a button pattern on its back, see it guys?'  
  
Neville and Dean looked over to see. 'I don't see it mate... wait are you talking about that smiley face on it's back?'  
  
'Yeah!' he replied excitedly.  
  
'That was always there...' Neville pointed out.  
  
'Oh...' Seamus lay quiet after that, but still trying very hard.  
  
Professor McGonagol had started to walk around the class observing the students progress. She was already at the table behind Neville which contained some Hufflepuff students, Ernie Macmillian, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones.  
  
'Ms. Abbott, we are not transfiguring the spiders into ties.'  
  
'Yes proffesor.'  
  
She took a few steps and stopped infront of Neville. 'Mr. Longbottom, what is your plant doing here?'  
  
Neville hesitated, what if she wanted to confiscate it! 'Er... I didn't have time to take it up to the common room, sorry professor.'  
  
'Quite all right, but next time I expect it to be in yuor dormitory,' she said rather coolly.  
  
'Yes professor,' Neville said quietly while listening to Dean and Seamus snicker.  
  
Still trying to transfigure their spiders ten minutes later Neville and the other two were starting to get frustrated.  
  
'Bah! This is too hard, why can't we just vanish it?' Dean said quite loudly.  
  
'Because, Mr. Thomas, that is not what you're here for,' rang Professor McGonagol's voice.  
  
Neville looked over his shoulder to see if Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the same boat as himself and the others. Just as he had thought, Harry and Ron weren't making any progress, while Hermione had enough buttons to start her own collection.  
  
He turned back to his own spider which was just sitting on his desk looking harmless, perhaps it was asleep. He tried once more, doing the necessary flicks, waves and jabs of his wand to change it. Unfortunately his wand flew out of his hand and hit him Mimbulus. As it hit sparks flew out from the end of his wand and hit the plant as well. Of course this aggravated it and without a warning it shot out a cloud of yellow, foul smelling gas. In no time the gas disappeared into the air, but the smell travelled through the class room.  
  
Neville could only think of one thing that this gas could be. The very same deadly gas Professor Sprout was talking about! He had to warm everyone what this meant... but he was afraid.  
  
'What's that smell?' he heard from behind him.  
  
'Lavender? Not again!'  
  
'Parvarti, it wasn't me!'  
  
'Calm down ladies,' Dean said smoothly, 'it's only Neville's plant... nothing to worry about.'  
  
Just then the spiders infront of each student (except Ron) began to roll over and remained motionless. An eerie silence followed it.  
  
Neville stood up and moved to the front of the class, he had to atleast tell that what this meant.  
  
'Uh... my Mimbulus Mimbletonia... just used its new defence mechanism... and - and -' Neville just couldn't do it, everyone was going to hate him, but they were all going to die anyways so, '- I think it's - it's a deadly gas and - and it'll makes us all d - die slowly... but I'm not one hundred percent sur -'  
  
He was rudely interrupted by Lavender Brown's screams, 'AHHHHH, WE'RE GOING TO DIE!' 


	2. Lavender Brown

**A/N**: Hey, sorry it took so long to update. I've been out for the whole week. Since it's like the last week of summer for me. Also sorry if this is short. You don't learn much about Lavender in HP =/ Well hope you enjoy, BTW it's a bit fulffy. And don't worry the Hermione/Harry is on its way. Review please, that way I know if I should continue for the sake of continuing =) Also check out the other fics ms. buggers and I have written, they might be your fancy.

**Disclaimer**: look at any HP fanfic, it's all the same...

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How could the world be so cruel! To die... in a classroom, of all places! Lavender Brown had always imagined herself dying in some handsome man's power arms. Her lying on the ground, him on his knees and they'd embrance. With her last breath she'd kiss him and tell Seamus that she had always loved him... Seamus? What was he doing in her head...  
  
BANG!  
  
'Owww!' Lavender yelled in pain. She regained her eyesight quickly, but her head throbbed. She looked to around and slowly understood what had happened. Parvati Patil, her best friend, had just swung her bag over her shoulder and hit Lavender sqaure in the face. She had sprinted to the door, like most of the people in the room. They wanted out. They wanted out of this place, before the same thing that happened to the spiders happened to them.  
  
Lavender picked up her bag as well, still rubbing her forehead, for a brief moment she felt like Harry.  
  
'Wait... wait everyone!' came a lone voice from behind them all. It was Neville, the causer of this whole fiasco! 'If we open that door... we'll be spreading this gas to everyone else!' He sounded unsure of himself... but something deep down in Lavender knew he was right...  
  
But that didn't stop her from giving him her best I-couldn't-care-less look. But before Hannah could open the door Professor McGonagol's voice rang though the classroom, '_Colloportus_!' The door locked itself. Everybody at the door looked at her with an appalled face. 'Sit back down. Nevlle... has a point... we cannot spread this to the whole school.' Lavender agreed, but she knew the professor said that through clenched teeth.  
  
She sighed, as did everyone else. Once more, silence reigned over them until...  
  
'Now... Neville are - are you certain?' the professor asked looking hesitant.  
  
'No... not... not one hundred percent sure,' Neville repeated quietly. Even though Lavender was behind him she could see the guilt in his face.  
  
'Then there is a chance that you may be wrong,' said Professor McGonagol, 'not implying that you don't your stuff about Herbology.' She finished with a calming smile.  
  
An idea struck Lavender, 'She must know!' she shot at Hermione Granger.  
  
All heads went from McGonagol to Lavender to Hermione, you could hear the cracking of necks. Hermione flushed pink and looked down. 'I wouldn't know anything about this... I've never read about the Mimbulus plant family... I've - I've only heard about them from Neville.' She looked at Neville hopefully, trying to draw the attention to him instead of her. She looked disappointed to Lavender, she finally didn't know something.  
  
Before Lavender turned her head back to her desk she saw Harry place his hand on Hermione's shoulder trying to comfort her. Why didn't they just tell each other. It was the end anyways. Lavender and Parvati had always known that Hermione and Ron were never the perfect match for each other. Too much arguing and too much tension. They kept biting at each others heads. It was fortunate that they ended terms well before Christmas. Lavender remembered distinctly that Ron had asked Hermione out and she agreed. They had dated for a month, but things went... not so well and they broke up. Hermione wouldn't tell them what had exactly happened between them when they asked her in the girls dormitory. Heck, she never told Lavender or Parvati anything at all.  
  
Lavender sighed again... they were back where they started, the deafening silence. She heard a sniff from her side, it was Parvati, she was starting to cry silently. Lavender, being a good friend, put her arm around Parvati. She didn't really know what to say. It wasn't going to be okay. They probably didn't have long before they started to... die... slowly... painfully, even. She shuddered at the thought.  
  
'Lavender...' Parvati weeped, 'I don't want to die...'  
  
'No ones does,' and she tightened her hold around her. Lavender felt like she wanted to cry herself, but she was braver than that.  
  
'That's for sure,' came a voice they knew so well.  
  
Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were standing beside Parvati's desk. They were smiling upon them. 'Don't cry Parvati, you don't want to die crying now do you?' Dean said soothingly.  
  
Seamus and Dean both pulled up a chair and sat down on either side of the two. Lavender loosened her hold on Parvati. To her amazment Parvati proceeded into Dean's arms. Lavender thought that Parvati was still dating that Durmstrang bloke, but Dean...!?  
  
Well, he was a nice guy, a bit immature, ugh... why were all guys so immature at this age. She turned around to give Seamus a quizzical look, and also to get some answers about to two, but found him staring at _her_ in an odd manner.  
  
'Seamus?' He didn't respond, but continued to stare relentlessly. She waves a hand in front of him.  
  
'Oh... er sorry,' he finally said while stratching the back of his head. 'Hey Lavender, I've been meaning to tell you something, I didn't expect to tell you this soon, but you know with... _this_ happening and all.'  
  
She nodded. What did this mean? If the mood of the room wasn't so depressed, she might even have had a giggling fit, but all that was gone from her at the moment. Did he want to tell her he fancied her? Wait... that could be it. But did she like Seamus? Seamus Finnigan? Even near her death she would not leap onto any guy infront of her because she was desperate. It had to mean something to her. Seamus must mean something to her, she was dreaming of him at the beginning of class. If only she could learn more about him, get to know him. Well she did actually know him. They were both in the same house. He did ask her to the Yule Ball didn't he? If only she could turn back time and make him confess then and there. Then they'd have more time to spend, more time to develop together...  
  
'Lavender?' Seamus called quietly. It was her turn to get a waving hand in the face.  
  
'Oh, oh, sorry... what did you say?'  
  
Seamus inhaled. 'I. Fancy. You. Lavender.'  
  
Although shocked by the news, Lavender smiled, she was indeed expecting... something like this. _I guess... I. Fancy. You. Too._ She thought quietly to herself. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, then hugged him and stayed in that position, it was comforting. She also had a feeling that she was secure in his arms. And all that time she could sense an ear-to-ear grin on Seamus' face.  
  
But now Lavender Brown's bravery had extinguished. It was her time to let go, her time to cry. Her eyes began to water up, and her vision became blurred. More tears formed and slowly began to roll onto her face. She weeped in his shoulder for a while then remained silent, savouring the _first_ and _last_ moment they had together.  
  
One thing was for sure. She was going to die in the arms of a handsome man... okay... boy. And maybe even use her last breathe to kiss him goodbye, she'd have to see. 


	3. Ron Weasley

**A/N**: This chapter is long than the other ones =( there's this part where I need to use the plus sign but I CAN'T it won't show up, if anyone knows how please tell me. So if I ever need to use it again I can, anyhow... thanks for the reviews for chapter two, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Reviews would very much be appreciated. Thanks again.

**Disclaimer**: Hooplaahh! I don't own any characters/references from Harry Potter, those belong to JKR, who should consider putting Harry/Hermione together =) GO H/Hr SHIPPERS!

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Ronald Weasley was propped up on him elbow, hand under his chin. He was looking straight ahead, looking at the back of some Hufflepuff student he never talked to before. He was thinking about his life. Well he was thinking more about his death, and all the things he'd miss. For one, there'd be no more eating, another... no drinking... no sweets? Ok... in that case, no food. But more to the point he'd miss his friends. Weren't they suppose to duke it out with Voldemort and the Death Eaters? Looks like that was going to cut short. He hadn't lead his team to win the Interhouse Quidditch House, yes him, he was captain. Harry had stepped down when asked, Ron thought the bloke was crazy, but then he was asked and Harry encouraged him to take it. And so he did. Later on when he was dating Hermione, she told him Harry stepped down so his best friend could take the position of captain. He was going to miss Quidditch, period.  
  
There was also Harry and Hermione who stuck by him all the time. Well, they did have _some_ sibling rivalry, if you could call it that. Since year one at Hogwarts, Ron, Harry and Hermione were the best of friends, and soon their friendship grew, they were like family. He was going to miss them both. Although there wasn't any spark between Hermione and himself anymore, they still kept things between them normal. Well actually here was how things started...  
  
It all began on a Hogsmeade weekend during November, Harry and Ron were waiting outside of Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop for Hermione.  
  
'How much longer is she going to take, it's freezing out here,' Ron blurted out through his chattering teeth.  
  
'Well you're the one who insisted that we stand out here in the cold,' Harry pointed out.  
  
'Yes, but you know her,' Ron explained, 'if we go in with her she'll demand for our opinions and not listen to them when we give them.'  
  
'So, when are you going to ask her out?' Harry said conversationally.  
  
'What was that?' Ron said while looking through the front window of the store. 'Sorry mate, I wasn't listening.'  
  
'I said,' Harry repeated coolly, 'when are you going to ask Hermione out?'  
  
'WHAT!? How could you think that I'd like her, Hermione out of...' He recieved a stare from Harry, 'Oh alright. I don't know when I -'  
  
'How about now? When she comes out.'  
  
'Now? Why not late -'  
  
'I'm done, see?' Hermione said while walking out the shop door holding a new quill in her extended hand.  
  
'Hermione, Ron wants to ask you something important.' Harry said quickly grinning. 'I'll be at the Three Broomsticks alright?' And with that he walked off leaving Ron and Hermione alone.  
  
They both watched him walk out of sight. 'So what's this you wanted to ask me, Ron?' Hermione said looking up at him.  
  
Ron now no longer felt cold, but warm close to hot even. 'Ah... ah - well Hermione I wanted to ask you if... uhm...'  
  
'Oh c'mon Ron, it's me you're talking to. You can tell me anything,' she said putting her quill neatly in her bag.  
  
Ron decided he best start from the beginning. 'Well you know that I've... er... I've fancied you for a long time now right?' he said quickly without pausing for breathe.  
  
Ron now a couple of feet taller than Hermione couldn't see her expression on her lowered face. She was looking at her feet, but nodded in response. So, he continued, 'And I just wanted to uh... how should I put this...'  
  
'Ask me out?' Hermione said quietly still looking at the ground.  
  
Another good reason they should be together, Ron thought, they understood each other perfectly. 'Yes, that's right.' He relaxed slightly but was still anxious for her reply. It took a few moments for Hermione to respond, it felt like an eternity for Ron. Why did girls have to make guys wait and it was Hermione too! She tried to answer every question as fast as possible!  
  
'Well, alright, sure why not,' she finally said. She looked up at him and smiled.  
  
His face was burning now. He could see the redness reflecting off the windows of the shops they passed. 'Are you alright, Ron?' Hermione inquired.  
  
'Yes, yes, really good,' he felt lighter than air, it was the most happiest moment of his life! Second was winning the Interhouse Quidditch Cup the year before.  
  
They set up arrangements to meet together often enough, but things didn't really changed between them, they didn't act much more or much less like friends. On the Christmas holiday, they had an unfortunate row with each other. Ron had forgot how it progressed to the subject but somehow their conversation veered in that direction.  
  
'You think I fancy Harry?!' Hermione said quietly, but coldly nonetheless.  
  
'It's bloody obvious isn't it?' he retorted.  
  
'If I did fancy Harry, then why would I agree to go out with you?' she said raising her voice very slightly.  
  
'I don't know... maybe because you pitied me or something... I don't fucking know.' He wasn't actually sure why he thought this himself, but everyone else did. That Skeeter reporter for the _Daily Prophet_, Cho Chang, Viktor Krum! It was a bloody conspiracy! There were many a time when it was obvious, they could not just stay friends. Did this make him jealous... unfortunately it did, it was just another time too many times where Ron had to take second place. And this was a major one.  
  
'Ugh! Ron, I've had enough of this... I can't do this anymore!' And with this she left the room.  
  
It was quite a quick ending for the two. He didn't really know if it was official until the day after when Hermione confronted him in the empty, holidayed school.  
  
'Ron, it is over, you and I... we just weren't made for each other... I've tried... I really have but I've thought it over and you're right. I have always had feelings for Harry, and if it seemed like... like I've lead you on I'm so sorry... I don't want to ruin what we had before all this.' She took in a deep breathe, amazing how she said _all_ that in one single breathe, freaky too.  
  
Ron sighed. He could not hate her, nor could he hate Harry. What would he do without them... be without them. So, he accepted this and surprisingly moved on. It looked as if Harry had gotten the point that they had broken up, but neither of them had actually told him the cause. Well until now, it was probably time for them to confess... er for Hermione to confess. He didn't know if Harry fancied her, never actually asked. He knew Harry was dense, but dense to not see it for the last six years? Ok... so Ron was dense too, he had only picked it up recently. He felt he had a duty to keep his two friends safe and happy. And he'd make them both happy in due time.  
  
But there was one thing he was going to regret before... passing away. He wanted to tell Luna Lovegood that he had developed a thing for her. Yes, she was odd, but that was what he liked about her. Really, he didn't even know why she had attracted his attention in the first place.  
  
He looked around realizing he was still in this hell hole of a classroom... their tomb. It was quiet enough. People were just waiting to die. He could hear people coughing, but it sounded rather... fake if you asked him. He didn't feel to good himself, his stomach grumbled. He was going to die hungry.  
  
He turned his head to his right, where Hermione and Harry were sitting. Harry's face was in his hands while Hermione was reading a book. At a time like this too. Ron shook his head. They were hopeless. Even at their deaths they weren't going to fess up. Well he was going to devise a plan, take them out one by one. He laughed to himself in his mind. Perfect. He mentally rubbed his hands together with glee. He was a real _Weasley_, a Fred, George, and Ginny kinda Weasley infact. He had too much on his mind to think of dying.  
  
Now, to proceed with the plan, he was going to get them together even if it meant he'd have to die for it. Ironically... his time was almost at hand. Ron tapped Hermione on the shoulder. She lifted her head slowly, her eyes still finishing off the last sentence on the page. 'Hermione...' Hmm, he thought to himself, this was going to be complicated. 'Tell him now!' Ok, he lied, everything he did, was always done with simplicity, anyhow people usually got the point... usually...  
  
He recieved a quizzical stare. He saw Harry look at the two and behind Hermione's bushy hair, but soon lost interest and went back to his hands. Must use sign language, Ron thought to himself. _Tell_. He put together the four fingers of his right hand and moved them to and fro from his thumb to simulate someone jabbering. _Him_. He pointed at Harry, in which Hermione turned her head to glance at him as well, then back to Ron. _You_. He pointed at Hermione. _Fancy_. He formed a heart shape with his hands and placed it over his own heart. _Him_. He pointed at Harry once again. Hermione looked at Ron as if he were crazy. 'Wha?' she mouthed confusion all over her face. Ron smacked his hand over his forehead.  
  
_Dense plus Dense equals Too Dense_, Ron thought sadly.  
  
He leaned over and whispered very quietly in her ear. 'Tell Harry you fancy him...NOW!' He spoke the last part as if talking to someone a meter away. Hermione shot back instantly rubbing her ear. Harry looked up at the two again. 'Are you two feeling alright...' He asked curiously.  
  
'Yeah, fine mate, but you know this gas stuff I think it's taking it's toll on me. My stomach is in pain.' Ron said grinning.  
  
'Well I see nothing wrong then,' Harry said with a grin as well.  
  
'Hmm, how come this stuff isn't killing us yet.' Ron inquired the two, Hermione giving Ron a deadly stare, which he ignored. Ron thought this whole ordeal was a bit far-fetched to be true, but he didn't want to spread it too the whole school, or any students who had happened to be passing by. Or worse yet. _Malfoy_. Now, that would be a shame, the Malfoy family tree coming to an end. Ron could only hope.  
  
'No idea,' said the two in unison, they looked at each other and blushed. A few moments later they returned to what they were doing. On the other hand, Ron moved to sit on the other side of Harry.  
  
'Harry,' he whispered quietly, perhaps if he accused Harry of liking Hermione he'd fess up. 'I know you like Hermione so tell her!'  
  
Harry looked at Ron for a second, then said, 'How'd you... no, I don't.' He said flatly.  
  
'Yes, you do, you just haven't noticed that you have, and you have for a long,' Ron pointed out, in a matter-a-fact tone. He continued when he saw Harry's thinking face on. 'Well, you better tell her soon, looks like we don't have much time left...' He finished of with a slight grin.  
  
He left Harry to think on his own and sat back in his seat. His plan didn't go that well, Harry wasn't sure if he really did fancy Hermione or not. He sighed. The things he did for his friends. His stomach grumbled again. He clutched it. Oh how he earned for some food, any food. Even some of that french food he'd never touched in his fourth year. He felt weak and tired. Everything began to get cloudy as he laid his head down on his desk. Soon he drifted off into a deep sleep. Maybe when we woke up he'd find Hermione and Harry together snogging like mad and even some food infront of him. Atleast he wouldn't die painfully. Only hungrily...


End file.
